Beckham’s Miami soccer stadium proposal approved by voters

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Miami voters have approved a pathway for the creation of a Major League Soccer complex run by retired star David Beckham.

Voters on Tuesday agreed to allow Beckham and his partners to skip competitive bidding and negotiate directly with the city on a 99-year lease to convert a 73-acre (30-hectare) golf course into the soccer complex.

Plans call for a 25,000-seat soccer stadium, a 58-acre (23-hectare) public park as well as a hotel, retail and office space.

In addition, Beckham and partner Jorge Mas would agree to spend about $35 million to clean up toxic waste at the site and pay a living wage for employees.

The team’s official name is to be Club Internacional de Futbol Miami, or Inter Miami, which Beckham’s camp announced in September in conjunction with the new team’s logo and colors.

The vote marks a major breakthrough in what has been a years-long search for a Miami stadium site, something that typically is a requirement for expansion teams joining MLS. The issues securing land for a stadium delayed Inter Miami’s entry into the league, now slated for 2020.